Where to See Spring Tulips in Amsterdam and the Netherlands

Many large bunches of yellow, red, and orange tulip bouquets wrapped in white paper — The best time to see tulip fields in Amsterdam is from late March to early May.

Tulips are as Dutch as Gouda cheese and wooden shoes. Centuries ago, the intricate flora proved a hit with the Netherlands’ upper crust, who’d shell out big sums of guilders (the currency at the time) to wear them as corsages during balls or to decorate their canal-side homes. At the height of their popularity in the 1630s, a bona fide tulip mania swept through the country, and single bulbs of the most colorful species were worth more than their weight in gold.

Today, the tulip is still everyone’s flower, brightening public parks and backyards all around the country during spring. Amsterdam rings in the start of tulip season on National Tulip Day, an annual event on the third Saturday of January. The city’s Museum Square turns into a giant tulip garden where everybody—including tourists—is free to pick a bouquet.

To see the country in full bloom, time your visit between late March and early May, when flower fields are carpeted in eye-popping streaks of pink, orange, and yellow, and tulip festivals in Amsterdam and the surrounding countryside put the beloved flowers in the spotlight.

Here’s where to find the Netherlands’ most awe-inspiring tulip displays in 2025.

Large garden square with rows of pink and purple tulips in front of Royal Palace in Amsterdam — Tulips are everywhere in Amsterdam starting in March, including in front of the Royal Palace in Dam Square.

Amsterdam Tulp Festival

Where: Amsterdam
When to visit: April 1–30, 2025

Amsterdam’s annual Tulip Festival brings a kaleidoscope of colors to all corners of the city. From Vondelpark and central Dam Square to the swirling streets of the Museum Quarter, more than 880,000 tulips will bloom in 85 locations around town. The 2025 edition, which will celebrate the city’s 750th birthday, takes place throughout April and include locations such as the Plantage Middenlaan near the historic Artis zoo, and NDSM Wharf, a former shipyard, across the IJ river.

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

Where: Amsterdam
When to visit: year-round, except on April 27 and December 25
Buy tickets: amsterdamtulipmuseum.com/the-museum; $5 for adults, $3 for students

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is a colorful corner to visit throughout the year. This small museum along the Prinsengracht canal delivers a deep dive into the Himalayan origins of the bulb and the fascinating tulip mania that swept through the country during the 17th century. Other parts of the museum feature tulip-themed Ottoman ceramics and industry artifacts, and the gift shop (which you can access without a ticket) sells certified bags of bulbs from a range of species.

Keukenhof

Where: Lisse
When to visit: March 20–May 11, 2025
Buy tickets: keukenhof.combi.ticket counter.eu; $20 for adults, $9 for children; bus + entry tickets from $37 (children $17.50)

The Keukenhof, an hour’s bus ride from downtown Amsterdam, hosts some of the Netherlands’ most dazzling flower displays. With 79 acres bedecked in more than 7 million bulbs (including more than 800 tulip species), it’s the largest flower garden in the world. No wonder it attracts well over a million visitors during the eight weeks it’s open each year. In 2025, the colorful walkable gardens are open from March 20 to May 11.

Museum de Zwarte Tulp

Where: Lisse
When to visit: year-round
Buy tickets: museumdezwartetulp.nl; $10 for adults, $5 for children 15-18, free for those under 14.

Beyond Keukenhof, the town of Lisse has plenty of other jumping-off points for explorations around this tulip-growing region (also known as the Bulb Region, or Bollenstreek). For a lay of the land, stop by the Museum de Zwarte Tulp, where rotating exhibitions focus on tulips’ presence in paintings and their representation in the baroque period.

From here, embark on walking or cycling routes around the tulip fields. (There are half a dozen bike rental options.) If you’re there on April 12, 13, 19, or 20, consider a $173-a-person helicopter tour for gorgeous aerial views. After, if you’re still not tulip-ed out, the family-run Tulip Experience Amsterdam, just down the road from the Keukenhof gardens, has fields with more than 1 million blooms; guests can walk through them for $12. Like Keukenhof, it’s open March 20 to May 11.

Bloemencorso Bollenstreek

Where: Noordwijk, Lisse, and Haarlem
When to visit: April 9–13, 2025

The Bulb District’s floral frenzy is at its highest on Saturday, April 12, when an annual flower parade known as the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek will travel the 26-mile stretch between Noordwijk and Haarlem in a procession of colorful floats tufted with tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and other bulb flowers. The parade passes through villages and towns along the route and makes a short stop at the Keukenhof entrance around 3:45 p.m.

On April 9, 10, and the morning of April 11, guests can peek behind the scenes at a hall in Noordwijkerhout (just outside Noordwijk) where dozens of volunteers will decorate the flower floats before they embark on an after-dark parade through Noordwijkerhout on the afternoon of April 11. If you miss the parade, the floats will be on display in Haarlem’s historic city center on Sunday, April 13.

A field of tulips, with horizontal bands of pink, white, yellow, orange, and red flowers; row of trees in distance — Noordoostpolder has 5,000 acres of tulips in practically every color of the rainbow.

Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder

Where: Emmeloord
When to visit: April 18–May 5, 2025

While the Bulb District around Amsterdam welcomes the lion’s share of tulip tourists every spring, most tulips are grown in the Noordoostpolder, a low-lying municipality about an hour north of Amsterdam.

During the blooming season from late April to early May, the area turns into a Technicolor patchwork of flower fields that are celebrated from April 18 to May 5 during the region’s annual Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder. During this time, a signposted car and cycling route guides visitors past the area’s most beautiful tulip fields.

Off-season tulip hot spots

While the Netherlands—Amsterdam in particular—is at its most colorful in spring, you can still get your flower fix if you visit during summer, autumn, or winter. The floating flower market (or Bloemenmarkt in Dutch) on Amsterdam’s Singel canal has been around since 1862 and is a great spot to pick up tulip bulbs to bring home. Be aware, though, that only certain varieties are approved by U.S. Customs and nonetheless require a phytosanitary certificate attached to their packaging—most vendors will be able to advise.

This article was originally published in 2016 and most recently updated on February 14, 2025, with current information.

Chris Schalkx

Chris Schalkx is a freelance writer and photographer based in Bangkok, Thailand.